The Sorting of Padma and Parvati Patil
by Novadestin
Summary: How is it possible for identical twins to be in different houses?


**The Sorting of Padma and Parvati Patil**

**Era:** Hogwarts **Pairings:** None

**Characters:** Parvati, Padma, Fred, George, Other Canon

**Summary:**

*Written for 's 'The sorting of...' challenge on HPFF.* How is it possible for identical twins to be in different houses?

* * *

Ravenclaw. That would be her house. She hadn't even walked up to the Sorting Hat and yet she knew what it would say. Clever and witty, she could be a Ravenclaw. With her twin sister Padma, now smiling at her from their table, there was no doubt that she would soon occupy the next seat there.

"Patil, Parvati." Professor McGonagall called and she straightened up.

Her steps up to where the hat lay were not unsure, but focused. She knew where she was going and was sure that the moment the brim of the hat touched her that it would yell out "Ravenclaw!"

So she sat herself gracefully down on the stool and watched as the room of curious students disappeared from view; the hat was too big for anyone at eleven. Yet there was no simple outcry, no certain and quick call from the hat to sort her into the house she most rightly belonged.

"Didn't I just sort you?" asked the hat inside her head and she giggled.

That's how everyone was; they could never tell which sister was which. They dressed the same, often spoke in unison, and always walked hand in hand. Sometimes people asked if they were conjoined because they were always holding the other's hand. Padma and Parvati had imagined what that would be like and often wondered why they had been made into two people when they shared one soul.

"No, it is the same laugh, but a different mind," the hat told her and then chuckled, "more twins."

"A different mind? I am the same as my sister," Parvati protested and crossed her arms ungracefully.

The room that she could no longer see was wondering what was happening but she didn't care. How dare an old hat tell her that she and her identical twin were different!

"You doubt me yes," the hat said in an irritated voice and she imagined that if the hat did have eyes it would have rolled them, "but it's all inside here. Not much different no, almost identical. And yet there is that one small part that changes you completely."

Parvati could not, would not believe this old and ragged thing. Wisdom from the Founders? Obviously they were not as smart as everyone claimed. She lifted the hat slightly and glanced at her sister.

Padma was concerned; she didn't know why the hat was taking so long to sort her twin. She was agonizing and Parvati could see it in her face. Her sister didn't want her to be different and neither did she. Yet the hat would not simply yell out the right answer.

"This is not that simple my dear," the hat seemed condescending to her, as if it knew more of her than her own twin. "A person may be almost identical but there is always that small speck in the mind that makes them solely unique."

"So if you're so clever where would you put me?" Parvati asked rudely, not wanting to listen to how much the hat thought it knew about her anymore.

"You are like your twin, clever and smart. You would be good as a Ravenclaw."

"Thank you," said Parvati and went to lift the hat from her head.

"Wait, I have not yet finished," the hat told her and she gripped the brim in frustration.

"True you would be a wondrous Ravenclaw; however you have more qualities than that. Something just a tad different from your sister. Where she has a spark for knowledge, your spark is of courage."

"No…" Parvati whispered, dreading what was happening and what would come next.

"Where she is a Ravenclaw, you shall be a ...Gryffindor!" The last word was yelled loudly across the entire hall and a table to her left cheered.

Yet she wanted to cry. As McGonagall lifted the hat off her head, Parvati looked to her sister and knew she felt the same. Their one, united heart was broken.

She moved unwillingly towards the Gryffindor table and sat next to a tall red headed boy. Parvati faced her sister and for the first time in their lives they could not communicate with each other. All they could do was stare at each other like strangers, it made them both sick.

"Hey, you alright?" asked the boy at her side as Professor McGonagall called the next name on her list, a "Potter, Harry."

Parvati knew the name, knew it belonged to the Boy Who Lived, but she didn't care. And it surprised her that the boy at her side didn't seem to care either, his interest was in her. She glanced down the table sadly and found that two startlingly similar faces stared back at her.

"Don't be sad about your sister," said one of the twins at her side. Parvati could think of nothing but the irony in sitting next to twins, who were trying to comfort her, while hers was across the room and always would be.

"Yeah," came the other twin at her look, "not like being in different houses changes you."

"The hat told me I was funnier then Fred here so we all have our little differences," said one twin and patted the other, who must have been Fred.

"You wish George!" Fred pushed his hand away, "you and your sis just happen to be different in a way that puts you in separate houses. Doesn't change you loving each other."

"Or being the best of friends," George added with a grin to his twin brother.

Parvati looked over at her twin and gave her a weak smile. Her sister smiled back in an 'it will be ok' manner and turned to comment on something the girl next to her had said.

Parvati thought the same, while she felt bad about not having her twin at her side, there was nothing like sage advice from other twins who had been through something similar.

Besides, it wasn't like they were that far away from each other.

Now they were solely unique and yet still completely identical. She and her sister exchanged another happy smile before looking up at the Boy Who Lived as the hat again called out "Gryffindor!"


End file.
